[Jandek] Jandek Live

[Joe Faust]

Holy cow, what news!

And I love the circumstances of the show - no mention
of his appearance, not even a proper introduction
("...from Houston, Texas, please welcome..."), and
disappearing after.  Very, very Jandek.  He stayed in
character the whole time.

I don't feel any disappointment in the appearance.  As
someone already said, if anyone has earned the right,
it's him.  Besides, he got that invitation by
specifically not selling out, by doing his own thing
and not compromising his own vision of artistic
standards.  And he still did it on his own terms.

As a novelist trying to straddle the line between art
and commerce, I salute him for what he accomplished.

Deep inside, I think this is going to be pretty much a
one-off ("How was the trip to Scotland, Sterling?"
"Hmm, fine.  Glad to be back at work."), but there's
part of me that would love to see this become the
Fourth Period - marked by a series of live recordings
of new material, all done at unannounced gigs. 
Guerilla style.  Solo, or with others.

You must admit, just when you think he's taken things
as far as they can go, he finds a new way to surprise.

Did anyone else find this astonishing... that after
all those years of playing in the basement or the
bedroom... Janky stepped out onto a stage and played,
looking relaxed and comfortable.  I can barely play
the guitar when my wife is in the room.  But then,
maybe he's been preparing for this moment since 1979...

=====
Joe Clifford Faust
JCF Online/The Word Foundry:
http://www.joecliffordfaust.com


		
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